


New ends, different beginnings

by Dougiebada



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars alternate
Genre: Anakin Skywalker is a Little Shit, Dark Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Anakin Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 07:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30001128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dougiebada/pseuds/Dougiebada
Summary: What if Anakin was rejected by the Jedi? What if he was found and taken in by the Sith? well when Anakin runs away he finds himself in the crosshairs of both sides.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	New ends, different beginnings

Anakin Skywalker was nine years old and in that short lifetime he had already seen enough death to last him many lifetimes, he had seen death work his magic in many colourful and barbaric ways. So as he walked down the destroyed city of Theed he was well accustomed to the sight around him. The occupation of Naboo had ended a day earlier and Anakin had snuck out of his room and into to the city to explore, he wondered the many streets of the once peaceful city, people all around him trying to rebuild their lives. Many houses stood empty and devoid of all life, some had windows blown out, others were only single duracrete walls that stood by themselves, the orbital bombing had taken care of that. Rubble was strewn about the place, various items that had once belonged to someone were now half buried and lost. Anakin saw the occasional man or woman sitting and crying, their sadness in stark contrast to the brilliant colours of the wildlife that surrounded them, it looked upon the poor figures that sat, slumped, all hope lost and loved one’s dead, the trees around him shook their leaves, shedding them like tears as if they too cried. He vaguely thought of his mother, her hard, stern but loving face, he cast a wondering thought as to what she would be doing now Probably helping Watto put his shop away for the night, he thought. He hoped she was ok, that she too didn’t cry for Anakin like the people around him cried for their own family, he hoped that she was not missing Anakin as much as he missed her in this moment. Another gust of wind distracted his line of thought and he continued towards the Queens residence for dinner, the gold painted wood and stone palace peaked above the empty shells surrounding him, he wondered down the path that he took earlier, the tears of the trees crunched underfoot. Anakin had hoped he could get in unnoticed, since Sabé, who the Queen had appointed to look after him, had specifically told Anakin not to leave the palace. He tried to listen at first, he distracted himself with designing a new droid, however the beckoning call of the city and his own curiosity got the better of him and he had snuck out several hours earlier. 

Anakin stretched out his mind in the way that Qui-Gon had showed him and he could feel someone inside his room, irritation and anxiety rolling off them, Kriff! he was going to get in so much trouble, Padmé had instructed her handmaiden to not be afraid to treat him as if Anakin were Sabé's younger brother and she was not afraid to give him a cuff around the head. Anakin climbed up the heavy vines that spewed over his balcony, he crawled his way up, trying to be as quiet as possible in the hopes she wouldn’t spot him, however no such luck as he hauled himself over the white ledge and found Sabé looking at him with a mix of amusement and irritation across her face.

"I suppose you have an excuse this time as well?" she said while picking up the squirming child and by his waist and carrying him across the beautiful room he had been given, it was bigger than his whole has on Tatooine, the balcony on which he had just been captured on was constructed out of a snowy white rock that reflected the sunlight into the room, the windows where open to allow a refreshing breeze cool the room, the walls where constructed out of a wood that was native to Naboo, it was a deep brown shade and the sunlight danced brilliantly across the golden paintings that were hung up on various points, ornate Animals carved into the bed that Anakin found himself thrown onto. "What part of stay in the palace do you not understand?" the comment was backed up by a pillow being thrown at Anakin’s face.

Anakin squealed as he took refuge beneath the covers "Sab, please I’m sorry, I just wanted to see what was happening", he peeked out, puppy, sapphire blue eyes looked at her.

"Don’t give me that look young man, I know it too well", Anakin grinned internally, it was worth a try, "The Queen wants you to join her for dinner so I brought out some clothes that you’re going to wear". 

Anakin looked over at the azure blue tunic and white trousers, he screwed up his face, he was not going to wear those, his clothes were fine thank you very much!

"what’s wrong with my clothes?!" he whined, "those look horrible", Anakin crossed his arms and was ready to argue this point, Sabé however just sighed and looked at him with a face that clearly showed there was no arguing to be had. "Don’t even think about bringing up this argument, I will pin you down and dress you myself if I have to". Sabé took a warning step towards him in threat as Anakin retreated once more, he knew there was nothing to be done so he glared at Sabé and stalked off to the dressing room to change. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan was very tired, he had spent the whole day either waiting in the hospital for news about Qui-Gon or talking to the Council about the events that had transpired. He had walked them through how they battled in the wide-open hanger that was still strewn with various droid parts or lightsaber scorch marks, he explained how the battle moved into the power station and finally how the Zabrak Sith had run Qui-Gon through before Obi-Wan had cut him in half. He also talked to them about Anakin, about how the young boy, with sandy white hair and blue eyes deserved his chance at becoming a Jedi. Qui-Gon had said to Obi-Wan just before he passed out that Obi-Wan needed to train him, that he was the chosen one and how he would bring balance to the force. The council were still adamant that he would not be trained. So, as he walked into the meeting room once more, he readied himself for another bout of questions and arguing with the council. 

"Why wish to train the boy, you do?" asked Yoda, the 900-year-old Grand Master looked at him with an impassive face that betrayed nothing, his gimmer stick planted firmly on the ground and his ears drooped. "A change of opinion since last see you, we did". Obi-Wan had to admit he didn’t really have an answer since he didn’t really know himself, he just knew that was what Qui-Gon had wanted, his master that now sat in a bacta tank, barely clinging to life. "Master Yoda, when my master’s head was in my lap, I felt sure he was going to die and I think he did too", a hitch formed in his throat, "and the fact that with what we both thought were his last words, he asked me to ensure that the boy was trained. I think that conveys how strongly he felt about this and I will honour what could very well be my master’s last wish." Obi-Wan felt a lump forming in his throat once more and he had to use the force to push the feeling down again. "I will train the boy Masters, even if it is not as a Jedi" a collective gasp was heard throughout the room as Multiple council members looked visibly shocked, they were all asking him questions, some began to raise their voices even more until a sharp crack was heard, Obi-Wan turned towards the source and saw master Yoda with his gimmer stick raised once more, a hush fell over the room as all eyes turned on the ancient master.

"Train the boy you will not, sent to Bandomeer he will be!" A hush fell over the room once more, the fleeting sunlight that entered the room via the golden tinted windows casted long shadows on the ground, the golden paintings and the whitewashed statues gleamed in the orange hue as the sun made its last peek over the horizon. Obi-Wan felt anger and irritation rising up inside him and he quickly released those feelings to the force before they took over him. he clenched his jaw, bowed and walked out the room. 

It had been two days since the meeting and Obi-Wan was still avoiding the council, brushing off their requests for him to see them with various excuses, he spent most of the two days out in the exuberantly coloured gardens that littered the palace, he was sat cross legged on a bench, meditating, letting the force flow openly through him, he tried to connect with the multiple life forms that surrounded him, he looked to the unifying force, begging for it to provide him peace and clarity, alas no such luck so far. He opened his eyes once more and surveyed the life around him, he wished his life could be as simple as the wildlife around him, he also wished for Anakin, he hoped the boy was not to distraught by the council’s decision, and although he tried valiantly to hide it, you could sense the great sadness that permeated the walls of the palace, his extreme power in the force made it clear for all force sensitives what he was feeling, normally Obi-Wan would place shields around the boy to help, but this time he didn't, he wanted the council to feel the effects of the decision they had made. Obi-Wan was still angry at the council, no matter how much he tried to forgive them he couldn’t, emotions swirled within him as he sat on the bench, the wooded slats digging into his thigh’s, not that he noticed of course. With a sigh he got up and headed in the direction of the hospital to check on Qui-Gon, he felt guilty that he had not come to visit since the council meeting, but he did not feel too bad as the healers promised to alert him to any changes in his master’s health. However, upon searching the force for his master’s presence Obi-Wan felt something was slightly off as he walked down the corridor, pillars lining each side, murals carved into them like blankets, depicting the rich history of Naboo, he could not feel his master in the force, fear began to collect in the pit of his stomach as he picked up the pace, slightly jogging. he rounded the corner of the healers, he thundered down the hallway, towards Qui-Gon's room, he opened the door and nearly fell over as he walked in. Empty. The bed was empty. Obi-Wan began frantically walking around, checking other rooms before he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at the small and petite healer before him. 

"Are you Obi-Wan?" asked the girl, softly and quietly. "I am" he replied, matching the tone, a slight shaking entering his voice. "I have been instructed to tell you that Master Qui-Gon was returned to Coruscant this morning along with the Council and the Skywalker child."   
Anger erupted as Obi-Wan absorbed this new information, the feeling was soon joined by similar feelings of betrayal and sadness, that the council had not told him and he was not able to say goodbye to Anakin. Obi-Wan thanked the healer and set off towards the hanger at a sprint, he had to get to Coruscant as quick as possible. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(twelve hours earlier)

Anakin ran into his room, he had not slept for nearly two days, he had been up all night watching the stars and exploring the hangers, only for Sabé to find him on his way back to his room to take him to the council. The early dawn light fluttered into the room, illuminating the tears that streaked down his face as tried desperately not to fall asleep as well as not to sob, he felt angry and betrayed. He had been taken from his mother and promised a better life as a Jedi, only to be looked down upon and told he was going to be sent to be a farmer. His hands started shaking as he sat on the floor, back against the door, he could not control the violently powerful emotions inside him, his vision was red with rage as he shut his eyes. His life had been so blissful the last 5 days, and now it had been turned upside down once more, he was so angry at the stuffy old Jedi in that room and what angered him the most was that he would not be allowed to return to his mother, he bad to stay with the Agricorps to ensure his safety, he was breathing deeply and heavily, his whole body shaking with rage now, he was unaware of the fact that his whole room looked like a bomb had gone off, all the furniture had been thrown across the room, all the windows shattered, cracks began to form in the walls, Anakin hated them, he hated them all, Obi-Wan for not defending him, Qui-Gon for lying to him and the Council for not accepting him. 

He was unaware however that Master Yoda and Master Eoth-Koth had followed him back and that they were now banging on the door trying to get in before someone was hurt, in the end Master Koth had to cut the door down with his lightsaber to get in, the brilliant azure light of his saber illuminating the hall with a deep blue tint, the door fell and Master Koth stepped in only to be thrown out across the hall and into the opposite wall, Anakin did not mean to do it, it was a subconscious action as the internal and external storm of emotions raged on, Yoda quickly erected shields around Anakin so as to not attract any attention from Obi-Wan, they needed to sort Anakin out now. This time Master Yoda entered, he was not as strong but much better trained than Anakin, he entered the room and fought successfully against Anakin’s rage. This was exactly what Yoda meant when the boy was too dangerous to train. 

Anakin did not hear or see Yoda come up to him, as he sobbed uncontrollably, tears freefalling down his face, he was also unaware of the extremely powerful sleep suggestion that Yoda projected towards him as sleep wrapped her dark tendrils around him and claimed him as her own. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon waking up Anakin felt cold, he soon realised, however, he had no idea where he was, he looked down and saw he was on a cot, it was thin and metal framed, certainly not his room in the palace, he got up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his bare feet padding along the durasteel floor, he was in the same clothes he wore earlier, the bag that contained his possessions was slung over the corner of his bunk, he was relieved to find all of his meagre possessions inside. Continuing his exploration he walked towards the door that lay at the end of the room, he palmed the pad next to it and walked out, the door returned to its original position with a soft clunk and a hiss of air. He was now certain he was on a ship of some kind, a soft vibration could be felt and a monotonous hum could be equally heard, Anakin began to panic now as he really had no idea where he was, he quickened his pace and walked along a small corridor, another door at the end, he opened it and was greeted with a small cockpit with two chairs, both were occupied by two adults, the blue and white streaks of hyperspace danced across their faces, one wore robes and a tunic, Anakin recognised her to be a Jedi based on what he had seen most other Jedi wear as well. The other occupant, a Man was dressed in a more conventional pilots’ uniform, he was bent over the control panels, checking various systems within the ship and they both turned to towards Anakin as he walked in. 

The Jedi stood up, a smile on her face, "Hello Anakin, my name is Master Tan'ori but you can call me Tan if you like" Anakin nodded, "Where am I? Where is Obi-Wan?", Tan walked towards him as Anakin screwed up his face, visible worry showing, "Don't worry, he's perfectly safe and so are you, we are currently on a ship that's headed to a place called Bandomeer, I believe you know of it?" Anakin nodded once more, "I am sorry you were not able to say goodbye to Padawan Kenobi but the council felt it important to get you to Bandomeer as soon as possible" her voice sounded almost sickly sweet as she spoke. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been one more day since Anakin woke up on the ship and they were still travelling, Anakin had become so bored he resorted to meditating with Tan, he still found it impossible however since it was impossible to get comfy on the hard metal floor and it was much too cold in the ship. So as Anakin sat down once more, he opened his mind to the force like he had been shown, he could feel Tan beside him, her prescence in the force like a lamp, slowly that lamp grabbed him and led him through the force, they explored the galaxy like this, Anakin could feel all the planets of life around him and he could equally feel his own presence, a beacon. It was during this time, Anakin sat on the floor next to Tan that a large clunk could be heard and the ship lurched violently as it was yanked out of hyperspace, it threw Anakin across the room as his head struck the bed stand of his bunk, he lay down in a daze not quite being able to function, he heard a snap hiss of a saber, he also heard what sounded like breach charges detonating out in the hallway, blaster fire and shouts filtered through the walls as Anakin and Tan hid, however once the blaster fire stopped, voices started, orders for the men to search the ship, find anything of value, Pirates! he thought, this was not good, yet he was still in a daze after his head collided with his bed and he was unable to move, soon shouts were right outside of the door as it slowly creaked open, Tan sprung into action at this moment as she planted her saber through the small gap, screams were heard on the other side as the smell of burnt flesh overpowered all else, more shouts were heard and calls for canisters of something called 'Kar Gas', Anakin had no idea what that was and he was sure he wouldn’t like it, sure enough two small balls were rolled into the room, spewing smoke that had a greenish haze to it, the two cannisters that were not bigger that his palm began to spin, a second gas erupting as the colour turned yellow, almost instantly Anakin felt like he couldn’t breathe, it was like trying to breath in soup, it filtered into his lungs as snot and tears began to run down his face, the two substances indistinguishable from each other, Anakin had to close his eyes as he felt ruff hands grab his hair and drag him out the door, he was still coughing and retching violently, someone put a cannister up to his lips and he drank greedily.

"Get on the comm, inform Darth Tyrosus that we have the Boy, we will meet him at the arranged place" Anakin was confused now but he had little time to think before he felt a small prick in his neck and sleep welcomed him once more. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan Kenobi walked out of the chamber, his master in tow, he had healed well in the last 4 years since the Sith had run him through and despite the crippling guilt they both felt upon hearing that the ship that Anakin was on never made it to Bandomeer, they were both back to full strength, Obi-Wan was even going to take his trials withing the next 6 months. They both walked out the council chamber simultaneously and let out a collective sigh, their boots padded quietly along the crimson carpeted floor, the mid-morning sunlight flittered through the windows, cast diagonal shadows along the hall way, they had both been sparring when they were summoned, Obi-Wan was annoyed as he felt he was about to beat his master, although Qui-Gon didn't admit it on the way up, there were reports of a Jedi running around and robbing various stores on a planet called Ryloth and they had been tasked with finding and apprehending the robber to determine who he was, both Jedi walked back to their shared accommodation to pack and be on their way.

"Do you think it really is a Jedi, master?" asked Obi-Wan, his brain trying to process the knowledge. Qui-Gon sighed, "I don’t know Padawan, we shall see when we see" he palmed open the door and they both walked in, "besides" said Qui-Gon, "it could easily be some goon with a stolen lightsaber". Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, he walked across their apartment, past the solitary sofa that faced out the windows that overlooked the planet, and through the small kitchenette to his room and retrieved his pack, him and Qui-Gon both kept ready packed bags for instances like this, Obi-Wan pushed apart the sea of data pads and models and grabbed the bag from under his cot, he filed out the door and walked towards the hanger. 

Things had gone wrong almost as soon as they landed, the planet itself was horrible, it was a dusty and dry landscape with little to no vegetation, as the small Delta-6 craft touched down on the crusty soil they had been met by several officials, they guided the pair to the local government house and allowed them to unpack, soon a knock sounded at the door and what looked to be a servant walked in, "Master Jedi's, I have been instructed to take you to the most recent place that the robber was seen" the two nodded and walked out. the people of Ryloth treated both the Jedi with a strong sense of suspicion, no doubt due to the renegade lightsaber user that terrorised their city, they asked around and talked to victim shop owners, funnily enough no money had been stolen only food and supplies. However, things got really serious as footage was found, they were both stunned at what they had seen, a young boy, not more than 15, wearing a black cloak kicked in the door, there was no doubt that it was a force user as the boy was clearly augmenting his strength with the force, the man in question then began to walk down the shelves of items picking of various foods and clothing, clearly, the man was living alone, most likely with no money. What happened next however was the reason that three further Master and Padawan teams had been sent to aid them, the Man in the video had been found by the store owner, the owner had picked up his blaster and began firing at the robber, what happened next however was frightening. The man took out a lightsaber and ignited it, a brilliant scarlet blade erupted out of the hilt, the man then began blocking the bolts using the Form 7, otherwise known as Makeshi, the man then reached out with his hand and made a semi-circle with it, the store owner began floating, hands scrabbling at his neck as he was lifted higher and higher, until the man’s head jerked suddenly and he became as lifeless as a ragdoll. Obi-Wan shivered, his hair raising on the back of his neck, this was no rogue Jedi, this was a Darksider.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin hated stealing, he really did, however since he could not get a job and he was technically here on a mission from his master, he could not afford to leave any name or documentation that he had been here. Hence Anakin had now resorted to stealing. He was here to complete the next part of his Sith training, the final part before he truly became a Sith apprentice. It was called 'The Sacrifice' and it was no picnic. Anakin had always struggled to keep his emotions in check, he was supposed to sever all ties with his old life to pave the way for his new one, however he had always struggled with that part, he had no trouble hating, using his anger to fuel the darkness within him, the black wolf that stood at the gate, waiting for Anakin to let it in and control him, but one thing always held him back, Obi-Wan, although he hated the Jedi and the fact that Obi-Wan was a Jedi, he did not hate Obi-Wan, his was the voice of reason in the back of his head, the one that was constantly questioning his choices in the dark, this did cause Anakin to occasionally hate Obi-Wan, but he could not get the voice out of his head. Hence 'The Sacrifice'. It was how Sith severed all contact and attachment, they killed those who anchored them most to the light. 

Upon triumphing Obi-Wan, and completing the rite of passage, Anakin would receive his name, the name that would scream his darkness across the galaxy, and seat him firmly in the darkside. This was what Anakin was doing, his master, Darth Sidious had assured Anakin that Obi-Wan would be the one sent to investigate and all he had to do was make enough noise. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stood back as the Jedi transport landed, dust was kicked up and their robes flew about, anchored only by their wearers, the ship settled with a satisfying groan and the ramp lowered, 6 Jedi stepped out, three masters and three padawans, the latter being the most proficient in saber skills. 

"Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi" greeted a large Kiffar master name T'la Ro his head bowing in turn. A padawan stood just behind him, one that Obi-Wan did not know and as if reading his thoughts Master Ro turned and introduced his young ward.

"This is my apprentice, Luminara Unduli" the Padawan nodded to each, she was about Obi-Wans hight, a Mirialan by the look of her, a checked tattoo running from her lip to her chin, a headdress obscuring the rest of her head. "well met Master Jinn, hello padawan Kenobi" she was quiet, her voice soothing in tone, however OBi-Wan had no doubt she could best him in a fight. The other Jedi pairs greeted them in turn and they walked towards the government building to plan their next move.

That night they set the plan in motion, each pair was to conceal themselves in a shop overnight, they would wait and watch, if the Sith broke into their shop tonight they would engage while the other pairs could come and assist, they made sure they were all within running distance and they set out, each to their designated shops.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin grinned, he knew exactly what their plan was and he knew exactly what to do, he had already been to each of the shops in question and planted a scrambler that would disable all communications in and out, it was brilliant. He masked his presence in the force, drawing a veil around him, it made him feel like a normal citizen to the Jedi, it was a well-honed skill. He stalked on the roof of the shop, he could feel the two jedi inside, two traitors beneath, the Jedi scum that cared only for themselves. The specific shop that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were in, had the cities power station beneath, it was perfect, he had laced the floor with explosives, the floor would fall and instead of fighting them in the confined shop he could lure them down to the many walkways and chimneys below, it was a design similar to the one on Naboo, the one where the pair had previously fought, it gave Anakin an advantage as each evening he had been practicing in the station, designing plans and routes of attack, he was going to destroy them and receive his name, Darth Sidious had said that his name would be given to him by the darkside itself, it would shine in the darkness for him to see, it would fill him with power and darkness like nothing before. He was ready.

Anakin leaped down to the street, he landed with the force and he was as quiet as a loth cat, he readied himself outside the door.... and he kicked. 

The door flew in, it bounced like rubber off the back wall, screeching in protest, Anakin flooded the room with the darkside, the room temperature dropped to ice. 'Snap-Hiss' a distinct blue and green hue filled the room, reflecting of all surfaces, Anakin grinned and ignited his own crimson blade. 

"I was starting to think you would never come..." he sneered, fire burning behind his deep blue eyes, Obi-Wan frowned as he digested this knowledge, "You know me?" he asked.  
Anakin's vision turned red, HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW ME? he thought, although it didn’t surprise him as he knew most Jedi cared for no one but themselves. "I'm surprised you don’t" he shot back; he detonated the explosives. 

Anakin got up, dusting dirt of his robes 

He watched idly as the pair of Jedi stripped off their cloaks, dropping them on the ground behind them. Anakin briefly considered not even bothering, keeping his on as an insult. He thought of a better idea instead, taking his cloak off with the Force and levitating it away to drop on Obi-Wan, his eyes mockingly on Master Jinn the entire time, daring him to comment.

He did, of course. "Rather frivolous use of the Force, Young Skywalker."

Anakin gave him a smile that was all teeth. "Why should it be considered frivolous? The Force is ours by birth right to do with as we wish," he levitated his saberstaff off his belt, reaching out to grasp and activating it, red surging from top and bottom.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan drew theirs, but only Qui-Gon activated his.

"Anakin."

He couldn't help but tense, Obi-Wan's voice directed at him for the first time in nearly five years. Anakin’s eyes turned to his, and he saw Obi-Wan couldn't help the swallow that ran down his throat. He took him in, drank really, he was far more mature than the last he saw Obi-Wan. A tight padawan cut for hair, a very long padawan braid, full of beads representing so many struggles and triumphs. Much of the boyish look to his face had faded away, revealing a stern man. He wore his Jedi tunic well and strong set. His presence was a firm light in the Force, and impressively strong for someone who was only a Padawan. Anakin was actually kind of surprised he hadn't been nominated for his trials yet, he was more than ready to be a Knight if he had to guess.

"Look at you," he murmured, growing bitter, "All grown up, just about ready to become a Jedi Knight." despite Anakin being almost 9 years younger he couldn't help acting as if he was the senior

There is sadness in Obi-Wans gaze. "It's not too late for you to retake that path"

"It's too late for that, Obi-Wan," his voice barely staying even with the rage inside, "Far too late, you saw to that when you shipped me off to be a fucking farmer!"

He thrust a hand forward and sent Obi-Wan flying across the room with the Force, sliding along the floor away from Anakin and death. If he was smart, he'd run.  
He doubted Obi-Wan would though.

Qui-Gon took that as an inclination to start the duel, charging forward and swinging downward from a high angle. Anakin catches it with his saber, spinning out of the way and forcing Qui-Gons down as Anakin swung the other end towards his neck. He ducked it and dragged his saber up, sparking along Anakin’s, aiming to take out the handle. He's not stupid enough to let it happen, and pulls back, spinning his lightsaber and falling back towards the Generator Complex doors, depressing the opening switch with the Force. Not retreating, but taking them away from anyone else interfering. When he had scoped out the place earlier, the long walkways of the Generator Complex, where Qui-Gon's age and lightsaber style would be to his detriment, and to Anakin's advantage.

If it even gets to that stage.

Anakin is only defending and taking obvious counters at the moment, not even dabbling in offense yet, there is no chance that Anakin could beat them both together. He's studying Jinn's form as he pushes Anakin back. His Ataru is excellent, great sweeping blows, his body a flurry of aggressive motion. Sidious is of course better at Ataru, but he's Sidious, it's to be expected. Despite Qui-Gon's age, he was better than Anakin at Ataru in general, moments where he is doing his spinning attacks that his blade is not in-front of his body, and if Anakin were to truly push himself to outspeed him, he could. Or if he caught Qui-Gons blade and redirected it to off-balance him, or used his positioning against him, Anakin could score a hit, or take a limb. Such as…

He is swinging low for Anakin’s knees, he leaps over and plants his foot into Qui-Gons face, sending him staggering. Anakin steps forward, his blade arching to tear into Qui-Gons chest, but Obi-Wan has finally joined the duel, his blade blocking and saving his master’s life, pushing Anakin back. He takes a step back, finds his foot halfway off the edge of the Generator Complex, and pushes off, backflipping and landing on a walkway.

Obi-Wan doesn't immediately follow, waiting for Qui-Gon to recover and re-join him before the pair leap after him. Anakin could not let them attack him together, so halfway across, he shoves his hand out and throws Obi-Wan back with the Force, sending him to the other side and landing hard on his back.

Which leaves Qui-Gon alone with him again.

He deactivates one end of his lightsaber, holding one hand out two fingers pointed at Qui-Gon, lightsaber held downward at an angle and beckons him.

Anakin wrenched upward with his lightsaber and then lashed out with his foot, kicking the side of Qui-Gon's knee and sending him careening off the walkway to another one down below. Anakin didn't pursue Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon, taking a moment to reach out and assess the area. The jamming signal was still down, yet he could feel the fear of the citizens, the encroaching Jedi that hurried towards the disturbance. The entire mission was rapidly going downhill, he had wasted too much time here.

He needed to end this soon. His eyes briefly looked downward and he spotted one of the doors he had prepared earlier, he calmly walked off the edge of the walkway and landed softly at the door, he kicked it open and fled into the night. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both slumped to the floor, brains trying to process the fact that the boy they had failed so much was driven to the darkside. "Master... I... I think we are about to have a very long meeting with the council" Qui-Gon sighed, "I think I agree Padawan mine however don't fear, I managed to slip my micro tracker from my saber into his pocket when I struck him" Qui-Gon grinned. Obi-Wan had to admit he love his master ingenuity sometimes. 

They both leapt up through the hole they fell through, the rubble on the walkway below was scattered around, as they pair landed back in the shop they were met by the other Jedi.   
Master Ro was the first in the doorway, "master Jinn, are you alright? did you catch the darksider?", Qui-Gon answered with a frown on his face, "I am fine Master Ro but no, we did not catch the darksider, however I think things are slightly different now" he sat down on the counter and sighed, Padawan Unduli frowned as well; "how so Master?". "Do you remember the Skywalker child I brought to the council 4 years ago?" Unduli nodded "yes master, I.. think he was the one you believed to be the chosen one? he destroyed the control ship during the Naboo incident? and then he went missing", Qui-Gon nodded, "well I think we found him".

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin was freaking out, his mind was whirring, thinking of all the ways he could get out of this large and particularly deep whole he had got himself into, he tried to think of ways he could get out said while but each time he just came to the same conclusion, he was kriffed! he couldn’t go back to Sidious, he was going to get murdered for this, Anakin shivered at the thought of what his master would do, he started hyperventilating as he slinked down the street in the dark, his shadow briefly showing as he passed the various streetlamps, he could hear distant shouting coming from the scene of his clash with the two Jedi, his mind was once again running at a million miles an hour, he was going to run, he would start a new life, build the droid he had been designing and go live on a moon somewhere. 

Anakin decided his first order of business was to find a way off this backwater planet, he couldn’t use the ship he came here on as his master could track it so that meant he could either steal a ship or stowaway on another one, he decided the latter since he had already done enough stealing than he would care for. Anakin walked up to the various ships that were housed in the hanger bays, the engineer in him gawked at the vast array of ships before him, however he couldn't just choose the one he wanted, he needed a ship that was about to leave, he continued walking, keeping to the shadows and shielding his force presence as to not tell the Jedi about his whereabouts, he pulled the darkness far into him and suppressed it for now. He spotted towards the back of the vast hanger a fairly large freighter, greyed and rusted from what looked like more than 4 decades of use, perfect, Anakin used the force to silence his footsteps, he crept to the ramp, made sure no-one was looking and hopped inside.

After about 20 minutes of nail-biting silence, ears pricked for any sound that would signify their departure, he heard the faint sound of footsteps clanking up the ramp that he himself ascended only a short time ago. Anakin had tried all the rooms upon entering the old ship, he found bunk rooms, freshers, gallies and the cockpit. But no suitable place to hide, that was until he found one last door that opened into a small storage room, perfect... ish, it smelled of damp and something Anakin didn't particularly want to think about, but he ignored it and settled behind several large crates in the corner, he patted his side to check his lightsaber was still in place and he pulled out the ration bars he had stolen from the gally earlier. So as the crew members embarked, the clanking of the ramp shutting behind them gave Anakin a short-lived sense of security, he hadn't been found yet, then came the vibration of the hull as the engines started and his stomach dropped as they lifted off from the ground. several long minutes later the door to the room opened and heard two sets of footprints enter; "check we have all the cargo on board" came a gruff voice, "don't miscount this time and don't open the boxes, you don't want to know what's in them". Anakin couldn't help but agree with him. Then came a voice from the recipient of the gruff orders spoken by the first man; "It's not my fault, we hit turbulence and the lid fell off", Anakin was surprised to hear a girl’s voice, probably no older than himself, only 14 perhaps. The man grunted and walked off leaving the girl. Anakin knew he was going to be discovered, the only question was how he was going to be discovered, he decided he was going to make himself known, hopefully this way he wasn't going spook the girl and incur the wrath of the older man. no such luck. Anakin took a deep breath, stood up and said, "Hello". The girl spun round, a small gasp sounding as she saw him and Anakin saw her, he was right in his guess of her age, she was slight, her hair was a sort of golden brown that shone in the dim lighting of the room, she was dressed in a loose-fitting white T-shirt, a dark jacket on top and tight fitting Bantha weave trousers, Anakin had to admit she was very pretty. However there was no mutual feeling as she made for the door, swiftly Anakin grabbed her with the force and pulled her towards him, he grabbed her from behind and closed a hand over her mouth; "Please" he breathed quietly, " I'm not here to hurt you, I only need to get away from this planet, promise you won't scream", the girl looked indecisive for a bit but then sagged and nodded, Anakin took his hand away from her mouth and released her, she scrabbled away from him and backed up against the far wall of the room; "Who are you? how did you move me like that, are you a Jedi?", Anakin sighed, "I guess I should explain, my name is Anakin Skywalker, I moved you like that by using the force and no I’m not a Jedi, in fact they are the ones I’m running away from", the girl nodded once more, appearing to be in deep thought, "Why are you running from the Jedi?" she asked, curiosity carrying in her voice. Anakin thought it best not to tell her he was a former Sith apprentice, "You probably don't want to know and it's my own business, may I ask you a question?" the girl nodded, "Where is this ship headed and could you tell me your name?" The girls mouth twitched in a small smile, " we are headed to Bothawi to deliver military supplies and food to a small base there and my name is Sascha", Anakin smiled and put out a hand to her, Sascha took it; "I guess I should take you to my father and explain why a 13 year old boy is hiding on our ship, "hey" whined Anakin, I'm the same age as you" he pointed out, Sascha pursed her lips but she conceded the point, she began to walk out the door and Anakin followed but not before unclipping his lightsaber and tossing it back to the corner he had hidden in. 

Almost 2 months later they began their descent to Bothawi. Sascha's father who was called Valin Cleeze had originally been angry at Anakin and had, quite understandably, wanted to go straight back to Ryloth, however after much pleading from Sascha, who Anakin had bonded quite well with over the past two months, Anakin proving himself rather useful with his force abilities and mechanical ones also, Valin had allowed Anakin to stay, even giving him an offer to join their motley crew of two. Anakin had readily accepted, he was glad to have any offer come his way for work, Anakin now had a friend, a job and a place to live, perfect, he thought, as he gently eased the elderly craft down through the rich blue atmosphere of Bothawi, the clouds hung in the air with what looked like a practiced ease as, he descended through them, as the air became thicker the hull began to whistle like a songbird, the engines thrummed harder as they countered the gravity. Anakin spotted the base below and the landing pad, they were both situated just outside of a thick forest that span as far as Anakin could see, it gave off a dark green hue and they swayed with the wind.   
Anakin flared the ship, pulling sharply back on the stick as he slowed the ship to a stop and placed it gingerly on the pad; "Brilliantly done Ani!" Sascha praised him with his new-found nickname that he rather liked, Sascha had reminded him of Padmé from all those years ago and he had slightly begun to fall for her, not that he showed it of course since he had no idea if she felt the same, he stood up from the pilot's seat, a small sheen of sweat on his forehead and Valin placed a hand on his shoulder. Anakin had learned that this was how the ragged man showed his affection so he was not disheartened by the small gesture. Anakin grinned back at Sascha; "Well when you are as great as me it's all a dawdle" he smiled mirthfully as Sascha scowled at him. They walked towards the ramp and Sascha palmed it open, a refreshing wave of cool fresh air rolled into the ship, replacing the stale two month old air within, they squinted slightly as their eye adjusted to the sunlight before walking down the ramp. The base was not too small yet it was not the biggest that Anakin had seen, there were a few soldiers milling about near some hover ferriers, they walked towards the young duo and began to trudge up the ramp, disappearing into the ship towards the cargo hold, Anakin had removed his lightsaber from the room before landing and it now sat on the inside of his thigh. A slightly older looking Bothan walked towards them, his fir slightly greyed by age and his snout and nose had various scars running across it, he stuck out a hand and Anakin grasped it; "Greetings young ones, my name is Sergeant Jokar, I presume all went well during your travels?" Anakin smiled, ignoring the comment about their age "Yes, all went well and we have your supplies with us", the sergeant smiled and his fir rippled in what Anakin could only guess was relief, "Is it just you two here or is there an Adult with you?", Anakin decided the man was only curious so he did not give a sharp retort, this time Sascha spoke up, "Yes, my father is in the cockpit, he sent us to oversee the delivery", the Bothan smiled and Anakin thought he saw a look of relief cross the man's face. At that point Anakin could not miss the slight warning he felt in the force, however he could not determine the cause so he ignored it for now.

The sergeant led the trio as they walked off towards the cleanly cut, white building that sat in the heart of the base and they entered into a lift. Anakin looked at their impromptu guide once more and he was surprised to see a slight sense of fear laced with anticipation rolling off him, this is weird, thought Anakin as they lift dinged to signify their arrival and the doors slid apart, revealing a large hall with a long corridor opposite them, the man did not stop as he walked across and headed down the corridor towards a door at the end, Anakin presumed the base commander was inside since the corridor was lavishly decorated with a red carpet and small paintings that were scattered along the walls. The Bothan led them into an empty room and offered them each a seat; "Commander Jax will be with you shortly" and with that he spun on his heal and walked out the room.

The office was fairly large, it had no windows, however. A desk sat in the middle, with the two chairs that Anakin and Sascha occupied and a luxurious looking chair sat across the desk from them, a neat pile of data pads were stacked on one side while various pictures and medals sat on the other, a stiff leather mat sat on his desk but Anakin couldn't figure out what it was for. "I wonder what's taking so long" said Sascha with a sigh. "I don't know" replied Anakin, "perhaps they are checking the cargo before paying us", but that explanation didn't even half satisfy himself, the sense of doom still permeated through the force. 

"Sith!" said an amplified male voice from outside of the room, "This is BSF Commander Blatskis. We know who you are! You have five minutes to surrender. Toss out your lightsaber and come peacefully and you will not be harmed. Do not attempt to escape, you are surrounded and we are authorized to use deadly force." The voice seemed to echo around the room, leaving behind only a stunned silence.

"So that's what that feeling was," Anakin muttered. Then he ignited his scarlet lightsaber and pointed it directly at the door.

Sascha grabbed Anakin's right arm, "Ani! What do you think you are doing!"

She was frantic. Not only was there now a squad of soldiers threatening the person she had grown closest to, but there was obviously some sort of misunderstanding going on between the BSF and themselves, she wasn't a Sith!

"What did you do?" asked Sascha, "What did you do Anakin", he ignored the question and continued to keep his lightsaber pointed directly at the door. "What did you do to the BSF?'  
"Nothing!" screamed Anakin, his mind racing as to how this had happened, he'd never even heard of Bothawi until now. Whatever the reason, he was still stuck in a room surrounded by armed guards with no way out, he didn't want to cut through the walls as the soldiers would follow them and he didn't want to cut through the floor as it would take too long. Sascha took a good, long and hard look at him, "Ok" she deadpanned, "Ok, I trust you so let’s get out of here", Anakin wished he could have kissed her right now. 

Anakin allowed himself the small indulgence of taking a good look at his best friend Sascha Cleeze, considering this might be the last time he sees her alive. By any traditional standard, Sascha was not a great beauty; she was wiry and short, even shorter than he was. Her brown hair was kept in an unglamorous and practical ponytail, and loose strands dangled down to her shoulder. The beige and browns of her clothes swirled around her as she stared at him. If you asked a random sample of citizens to rate Sascha's attractiveness, they'd probably rate her a six out of ten, a slightly above average looking human female. Her physical attractiveness notwithstanding, Anakin deeply admired and respected his newest, closest and only friend. Her intensity was so obvious, even at a distance, that it almost seemed palpable. Sascha was the type of person who wouldn't back down, refused to be defeated, Anakin knew that she would fight until her last breath since she was the best shot with a blaster he had ever seen. He just hoped that it won't come to that point.

If he is being a hundred percent honest with himself, there is a tiny part of him that regrets that they didn't meet earlier, but he has come to grips with their relationship. Now it is that relationship, that bond, that gives him strength, gives him hope that despite the odds being stacked against them, that they'll come through it just fine. This is likely to be the stiffest test of their bond they have ever had, despite them only knowing each other for a few months, but if there is anyone Anakin wants fighting beside him, Sascha Cleeze, his best friend.

Sascha left the chair to stand near her friend. "Glad you could join me," Anakin said as she moved his lightsaber to swat away a stun bolt from the now blown open door, sneering contemptuously as he did it.

"Why is the door still open, Anakin?" she asked him, curious.

"Simple tactics," he replied. "I can close the door at any time with the Force, but why reveal what we can do when the current situation works for us? Right now, they can only take potshots at us, and if I get bored or tired of deflecting stun bolts, I can just retreat behind the door. Let's make them come up with a better plan."

Sascha had to admit that Anakin's logic was flawless. "Who is attacking us?" he asked.

Anakin spared a quick second to look at her, "Well, we are on a BSF military base…and the people firing at us are wearing BSF uniforms, I'd say we are up against an entire base worth of Bothan soldiers."

"Oh, so it's going to be easy then," she said sarcastically.

Anakin swatted away another incoming stunbolt with a textbook deflection, before stepping away from the door for a moment, Sascha looked at him as if in thought "If you were the opposition commander, what would your next move be?" she asked him.

He closed his eyes and tried to put himself in the mindset of the enemy commander. Whoever was commanding these soldiers likely had significant resources at his command, at least those of this very active military base, but he probably did not have much experience in dealing with a lightsaber wielder. The commander would almost certainly soon realize that he could not simply engage Anakin and Sascha in a firefight through a single door and hope to have any success. So the commander would likely come to the conclusion that that they'd have to disable or impair he or Sascha before they could expect victory. Yet, considering that the BSF probably couldn't use gas, lest they poison the rest of the base, they'd probably try something else…

As if responding to his thought process, he saw several black, round, objects roll into their room.

"Oooh, stun grenades, these will be useful," commented a cynical Anakin . Sascha watched with silent awe as Anakin reach out with the Force and quickly deactivate the grenades. She was about to ask how he deactivated them so easily, but he anticipated her question, "The man who trained me showed me lots of things, including how to do stuff like that, I got enough thrown at me that I could probably do it in my sleep." he laughed, "Boy, I had sore ears after that day."

He managed a snort of amusement at his own joke before activating his lightsaber once more, getting ready for the troopers that were likely to follow the grenades.

As the first soldier came through the doorway, Anakin Force pushed him hard into the wall, the soldier hit the wall with an audible crack. The soldier lay motionless on the ground, incapacitated a mere second after entering the room. Sascha met the second soldier into the room, using the soldier's blaster rifle set to stun. Then she hit that now disabled soldier with a swift side kick that sent him adversary sprawling back, blocking the door to the rest of the troopers trying to enter through the narrow doorway.

The remainder of the soldiers tried to continue to force their way in, but Anakin and Sascha were up to the challenge, Anakin disarming the soldiers and Sascha sending them into a quick retreat with the now considerable mountain of blasters.

Once it became apparent that the attack was over, Anakin disengaged his lightsaber and took a deep breath. Glancing over at the doorway, he realized that the man he had Force pushed into the wall had apparently been knocked unconscious. The soldier, his armor coloured in dark greens and greys, lay slumped against the wall, head down, the blaster rifle that he had been carrying rested beside him. "I'm not sure we can take on prisoners, Ani," commented Sascha with a grin, he was scared at how natural she seemed in all of this, having gone from a slightly scared girl to a fierce warrior in a matter of minutes, it made him wonder what she was doing before he met her.

Anakin grimaced, "I overdid it a bit on that Force push, I didn't mean to hit him that hard. I guess we take his blaster and push him out the door. Let his friends get him some medical attention." Sascha nodded and Anakin used the Force to fly the military grade blaster rifle into his outstretched hand. Next, the two 13 year olds combined their efforts to lift the man carefully from his almost seated position and out into the atrium where he was promptly retrieved by his BSF compatriots.

"Well, at least they probably won't try that again," Sascha said, as she readjusted her ponytail.

"They might," Anakin replied, "Depending on the who is in charge. If whoever is leading the BSF is truly desperate he can keep throwing soldiers through that door, eventually one of them will land a lucky shot on us, and that will…"

"…be bad," Sascha finished his sentence. She paced back and forth, "So this is a wonderful mess we are in. Do you have any good news?"

"Um, we are still alive. That's good news right?" he said.

Sascha paused, "I guess I'll take it." Anakin walked towards the desk that was currently no more than a splintered wreck and sat on it.

Sascha noticed a bit of movement from outside and tugged on Anakin's robe to get his attention. "I think they are going to try again. Get ready."

The BSF soldiers tried again to force their way into the room, but he and Sascha were able to stymie them and push them back with relative ease. Two forays attempted, two forays rebuffed.

Regrouping away from the doorway, Anakin was breathing hard, trying not to expend more effort than absolutely necessary. "Whoever their Commander is, he seems to have some brains," said Sascha. "He's just probing us, making sure we can't rest or relax while he prepares another plan of attack." Who is this girl? thought Anakin.

Anakin scratched his head, "Well, conventional wisdom of fighting someone like me is that you have to overwhelm them or try to out-skill them. Considering that the BSF probably doesn't have a secret anti-Sith commando team, even though I'm not a Sith, he pointed out, they have to overwhelm us…or they could just tire us out," he admitted. "So, I assume they'll look to open up a second front, by blowing up one of the walls and forcing us to divide our attention." He paused and put his hands on his hips, "What I haven't figured out is how they plan to do so without killing us since they clearly want me alive. I think that's what they are trying to discern at the moment. Really, I think we have to realize that the longer we hold out, the greater the amount of risks they'll be willing to take."

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by another BSF attack, this time the soldiers tried to use a smoke grenade to cover their advance. While he applauded the opposition commander for realizing that his previous tactics were not likely to lead to success, using smoke grenades was not going to be the answer either. As a force user, Anakin could hold his breath for a very long time, and he didn't necessarily need to see his opponent to be able to hit them either. 

"I think it might be time to close the door Anakin!" shouted Sascha over the din of the battle. "Give me a kriffing second!" he replied , busily batting away any stun bolts that came close to him. Retreating to a safe distance, he closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, sliding the door out from its concealed position and bringing it slowly, but inexorably across the entryway. After sliding it fully into place, reached out for the locking mechanism and upon finding it, he crushed it into an unrecognizable pile of parts, making sure that the heavy door could not be opened remotely.

Anakin looked drained by his exertion, he wiped away a bead of sweat that had appeared on his forehead with the sleeve of his robe. "Well, that will hold them for a little bit," he said. "We really do need a plan 'B' though."

Sascha threw her hands up in frustration, "I don't have one Anakin, we just have to keep fighting until help arrives." She pointed upwards, "There is a ventilation shaft above us that I think we can fit into, but we have to be truly desperate to use it, because we don't know where it leads." 

The pair used the brief respite to rest, to try to replenish themselves, in an attempt to give themselves the stamina they would likely need to survive the next attacks. The BSF seemed intent on not allowing them to rest, as the soldiers assembled a ramming device that started hammering away at the door that Anakin had just closed.

The door was surviving the assault so far, but given the dents they were putting in the door, it was unlikely the door was going to survive the beating for too long. "Ok Anakin, explain what I'm doing trapped in a room with a Sith fighting against a military?" Anakin had to admit he had no answer, "I'm not a Sith, at least not anymore, I ran away-", but he was interrupted "why?" she asked. "I failed my master and if I went back he would have tortured and then killed me". Sascha looked slightly less tense, "I was sent to kill a pair of Jedi, I failed and stowed away on your ship and now I can only presume they somehow know I'm here and have asked the Bothan Special Forces to detain me".   
Sascha nodded her head in understanding. She was about to say something when she was beaten to it by Anakin; "Since I have answered your questions, can you answer mine?", Sacha nodded, "how is it you're suddenly a hardened warrior?" Sascha looked at him with a slightly lustful look in her eye, "that's because I am, Although I may not look it I used to be a bodyguard for a senator’s son on Naboo, since I was young I could blend in as a sister or friend, however I missed something and the boy died, so I ran and found passage on board Valin's ship, and before you ask, no, he's not my real father". Anakin nodded, surprised at the confession, "I don't care", he said, "I still like you, for you". Despite being in a firefight Sascha blushed a deep red and they both began to lean towards one another; however another large dent took them back to the job in hand. 

Losing the door was going to be a problem, but it would still be the same situation as before, which had been chaotic but manageable. However, a different whirring sound caused the two to break off their respite and look at each other in alarm.

The BSF were using what sounded like a large machine to drill a hole through a nearby wall. 

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin muttered. Sascha could do little but nod.

"Now what?" she asked.

"We're karking dead, that's what," replied Anakin in a venomous tone. "I think it's time to see where that ventilation shaft will lead us? It can't be worse than here. I'll defend, while you go first, I'll follow when I can."

"No, I should be the one that stays behind," Sascha declared.

Anakin glared back at his friend, "And how exactly are you going to get into the ventilation shaft without me? No, it has to be you first."

Sascha turned her fierce gaze on him, and for a second he thought that she would not try to argue with him. Instead, she poked him in the chest, "You better get up that shaft or I'm staying", Anakin conceded finally, "fine but you're coming up straight after 

"I'm a bit too tired to take on a whole army by myself," she said.

He nodded, and Anakin used the Force to pull a grate off the ventilation shaft. Sascha glanced back at Anakin who nodded back, Anakin gathered himself and jumped, he felt a small wave of air lift him into the open shaft.

As she was watching Sascha disappear into the shaft, the BSF launched another attack. This time, there was no Anakin to deflect the bolts. The first serious fusillade launched at her and they almost broke hit her. Stun bolts whizzed past her at uncomfortably close distances. she held her ground as best as he could and retreated patiently, but there was simply too much incoming fire. It got even worse when the BSF troopers began gradually advancing and switching over from the stun setting to full power. "Sascha! Let's go!" yelled Anakin. She glanced upward to see that he had made room for her to jump into the ventilation shaft. Time to make my last-second escape, she thought to herself.

She was about to follow Anakin into the shaft when he felt she felt a blue stun bolt land near her hip. Suddenly, she felt like all her nerves had been lit on fire, the pain was excruciating. Instead of jumping to the relative safety of the ventilation shaft, she was frozen in place, unable to move.

"SASCHA COME ON!" shouted Anakin, but she was unable to heed his desperate request.

She then felt the impact of something across her midsection and another impact that knocked her blaster clean out of her hand. she jumped up and latched onto the edge of the shaft. 

Then she felt nothing at all.

The exhaustion that Anakin had been feeling simply dissipated when he saw the blue stun bolt graze Sascha. The bolt had frozen her in place in an almost comedic fashion, which was when the two laser bolts had hit her, one ripping across her midsection, leaving her jacket black and charred where it made impact. The second hit her blaster square in the hilt, disengaging it and sending it clattering away. Anakin used all his remaining strength to lift Sascha himself with the Force into the cramped ventilation shaft.

Once he had pulled her inside the ventilation shaft, he barely remembered the next few moments. He remembered pushing the semi-conscious form of Sascha through the shaft, an almost herculean task he only accomplished by drawing heavily on the Force. He took the first turn that he saw, which thankfully, either by intuition from the Force, or sheer luck, led to an empty room. He then dropped down to the floor and used the Force to float he still unconscious Sascha to the ground beside him.

It was not going to take too much time before the BSF figured out their new location, but at least their adult size and armoured bodies would be unable to follow them through the ventilation shaft. Small comfort, thought Anakin

He took a quick glance around the room, evaluating it. This room at least had a lot of available cover, there were more than a few tables and chairs around that could be used as impromptu shelter. That was good. The single most glaring problem with this room was that it led directly into the atrium that the BSF had been staging from, and the wall facing the atrium was made of transparisteel, which was going to allow the BSF troops a great view of them

He then turned his focus to Sascha. His friend lay prone on the ground, breathing softly. He was about to open Sascha's jacket to get a look at her injuries when she woozily came back to consciousness. The close emotional connection that he shared with Sascha meant that occasionally he would get flashes of her thoughts, usually these were vague emotions or feelings. This time, he received a fraction of the pain that she had to be experiencing. Anakin felt himself grimace as suddenly it felt like his midsection was on fire and being prodded with a pair of poisoned blades.

Sascha, seeing his reaction, muttered, "Sorry,". Anakin smiled and she felt the pain fade from her senses, which was a good sign, it told her that her friend still had the ability to use the Force to dull their pain like he showed her on during their time together on the ship. Whether he'd be able to use it for anything more than that remained to be seen. Honestly, she was just glad to see him again.

"Let me check on your wound Sascha, while we have a second." Not for the first time in his life, Anakin cursed his lack of healing ability. Sidious had punished him relentlessly but he was still deficient in healing anyone besides himself and no matter how hard he worked at it, he never seemed to improve.

"I'm fine Anakin," replied Sascha. As tough as Sascha was, and she was plenty tough, she did not look anywhere near fine. The minor scrapes they had both accumulated were nothing compared to the angry looking burn that ran across the middle of Sascha's jacket, she had her arm draped over it in a protective fashion, unwilling to let him see how bad the damage actually was. That was not good. And Force only knew how getting grazed by that stun bolt had affected her.

Sascha read the expression on Anakin’s face "It's like sticking your hand into an electrical socket, except instead of removing it immediately, it's like your hand got stuck." Sascha grimaced and looked away, "I almost wish the stun bolt had hit had hit me square on, it would be less painful." 

Then she sat in thought once more 

"The BSF is going to find us soon you know"

Sascha Cleez, wounded and almost deliriously fatigued was still capable of being the voice of reason. For that reason, he decided he would follow her to the gates of hell itself.

While he had dark thoughts of killing everyone in the entire base, the last time he had done that he had felt horribly unclean and he did not want to experience that again. Even though he was more than capable of doing it, he couldn't kill those who had not wronged him. But if something happened to Sascha, he didn't think he could stop himself. Therefore, he simply used the stun setting on one of the blasters and gave it to Sascha. "If I turn dark.. Sascha... I want you to promise me you'll put me down". Sascha was taken aback, there was no way she was going to do that, "Anakin.. What do you mean?", he looked at her with his deep blue eyes, "If I start killing people, if I start going Crazy you need to stop me, OK? Please Sascha promise me!". She took in a deep breath. She nodded.

She once again repeated her original statement of them being found. 

She was right though, they needed to prepare to continue the fight. A large squad of BSF soldiers had formed up outside of the transparisteel window, clearly waiting for a signal to pierce the window and open fire. There's too many of them, Anakin felt himself despair, the room had lots of cover, but cover worked both ways, there was almost no way he could use his lightsaber without killing them and without drawing on the dark. there was no way he could do it without being shot to pieces before he could get in range to use his lightsaber. Maybe if he was at full strength he could do it. Maybe. Now? No chance.

"Two against an army, this is just like some of those terrible action holos you like isn't it," he asked Sascha.

"Pretty much," was her response along with a lopsided smile.

"The good guys always win in the end, right?" he asked.

Sascha squeezed his hand reassuringly, and looked at him with her deep, compassionate, brown eyes, "Always. Anakin. But I have to admit I'm not sure if we are particularly good and not just trying to survive".

Anakin sighed sadly, he knew she was right, he gazed at her longingly, both of them had feelings for each other, it seemed, and they both knew it. 

Sascha blinked. Her heart got caught in her throat for a second. She wondered what words she was supposed to say to her best friend right now. She wasn't sure he'd be alive in a few minutes. Hell, she wasn't sure she'd be alive in a few minutes. There had to be some sort of magic words or phrase that she could say to Anakin so that he would know how much he meant to her.

If there were such words, Sascha Cleez didn't know them.

"Focus, Sascha," said Anakin quietly.

"Stay out of my head, Skywalker," she said behind a smile.

He shook his head softly, "Not in your head, Sascha. Don't need to be. I just know you."

Those gently spoken words almost broke her, almost broke the calm in her mind that she was tenuously hanging on to. Here she was, with her best friend perilously wounded and he was helping her. It was insane. Maybe her whole life was insane.

"Ready?" he asked.

She considered the question for a second. "Yeah."

Her best friend nodded and started slinking away from her, searching for cover.

"Hey Anakin," she said. Her friend turned around. "May the Force be with you."

He grinned, and for a split-second she sees Anakin how he usually was, a kind and gentle boy with soft features, not the exhausted warrior across from her, his face pale and marked with cuts. "It never usually is," he said with a grin on his face.

Resolve flooded into him, quelling his self-doubt, quelling his fears. Sascha was still alive. He was still alive. As long as they both drew breath, there was hope. Anakin marveled at how Sascha had buttressed him for the battle to come. His friend always had the right words to say, would always be able to make him better than he would be if he was alone.

Anakin experimented with holding his lightsaber in his right hand and a blaster rifle in the other, it was ungainly and awkward, but he thought that he might be able to make it work. Sascha moved ponderously off to his side, keeping one arm draped across her midsection. She found cover behind a big, heavy looking desk. She gripped her rifle tightly, taking careful aim, aware that she no longer had an active role in this fight. She looked terrible, her face was almost completely pale, almost sickly with perspiration, she was also drawing shallower breaths each time, shallower than Anakin thought she was capable of, he knew her limit was fast approaching. What he would do when it came? He hadn't the slightest of ideas.

"CHARGE!" came the cry from the soldiers, before the transparisteel window exploded into a thousand tiny fragments, causing Anakin to duck behind his cover. That split second was all the BSF troopers needed to claim some of the best bits of protection in the room, it would be near impossible to dislodge them. Wonderful.

Anakin took one of the few stun grenades he had left from the other room and tossed it so that it landed just beyond a nearby couch. Then with a flick of the Force he detonated it, stunning several of the soldiers that were using it as cover.

Sascha was moving with little of her usual speed or grace, but every shot she took seemed to find its target nevertheless. When she took a second to catch her breath, she rested laboriously, her head lolling around, seemingly unable to hold it up straight anymore. Anakin was doing slightly better, he was getting the hang of wielding his lightsaber one handed and firing a blaster with the other. He lacked some accuracy, but he was at least able to keep many BSF soldiers pinned down with his blaster.

Ultimately it wasn't going to matter, the pair were fighting with every last drop of courage and skill they had at their disposal, but the sheer numbers were going to get them, and soon.

He jumped out of his cover and rolled while firing. His first shot missed, but his second shot caught the BSF soldier he'd been aiming at in the left flank, and he fell like a stone. From his new vantage point, Anakin caught three BSF soldiers out of position in quick succession, before a barrage of red laser bolts, forced him to beat a hasty retreat away, swatting away the red streaks of light that got too close to him with his matching red lightsaber. Clearly, the BSF had decided that stun bolts weren't getting the job done anymore. Maybe in the end, they didn't really care about retrieving them alive. Maybe they were just angry at being stymied by two beings whose age combined to a total of a hundred and thirty.

Having a quick second to rest, he glanced over to Sascha's position, and his heart caught in his throat. His friend, his best friend, was close to being surrounded by a flanking manoeuvre from the BSF. Sascha, obviously unaware of how much danger her position was under, was engaging in a firefight with an entire squad of BSF troopers, using her rapidly disintegrating desk as cover. That was not so much a problem as the other platoon that he observed that was using it as a distraction to achieve a flanking position on Sascha.

Kriff this, he thought, deciding that he was going to help her. He prepared to leap to aid him, but just before he was about to move, a cascade of fire pinged around his current position. He wedged himself as tightly as he could into his cover and tried to shout a warning to Sascha. Sascha didn't seem to hear his warning over the roaring sounds of battle.

Not about to give up on his only best friend, he tried the tactic that had been so successful for him so far, the use of the BSF issued stun grenades. But this time when he tried to float one to a position that would have allowed him to join up with his beleaguered colleague, a strong, clear voice shouted, "Grenade, sector 5-14G."

Quickly, all the troopers that would have been stunned retreated to a safe distance. Anakin, back pressed to a hover-chair, slammed his fist into his thigh in frustration. Whoever was leading these troops was no idiot, and the BSF were adapting well to Anakin's tactics.

With Anakin cut off, Sascha belatedly realized that she was being flanked, and bravely half-rose into a firing position to fire on the three soldiers that were getting an advantageous position on her. She dropped the first soldier with an exquisite shot that had anticipated the troopers rolling dive. The second soldier she missed by a fraction of an inch, spooking the man into missing his own shot high and wide. Sascha's second shot caught him full in the chest, the blue stun bolt dancing across his body, leaving the armoured trooper to collapse in a freefall to the ground.

The third soldier had taken his time and lined up his shot. Anakin stopped breathing saw one red laser bolt go through Sascha's left arm and another into her left side. She was sent spinning by the impact, and she collapsed soundlessly to the floor, laying still, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Anakin Skywalker had thought that watching Sascha be wounded the first time had been the worst moment of his life, far worse than any torture Sidious could enforce on him. The moment where she had laid still after being hit by the blaster bolt that pierced through her was infinitely worse.

She's not dead yet , he told himself, he was sure he would have felt her die. She's just hurt. She's okay. He just has to get to her, and use his non-existent healing ability. Oh Force why is this happening to us! Seeing Sascha get hit again had sapped whatever reserve of calm that he had left, he felt crazed, manic, gasping for air in wild, deep breaths.

In a desperate move to gain some time, he loosed all but three of his remaining stun grenades, letting them scatter wildly, haphazardly. Not even bothering to see how effective his tactic had been.

He dashed towards Sascha's side of the room tears streaking down his face, he dived through the air in what seemed like slow motion. But. He looked left momentarily and felt a shockwave slam into him mid-air, it propelled him into the wall and he slammed into it, he felt something in his back crack. He hit the ground with a staggering pain. He saw Sascha and pulled her back to the relative safety of his position, avoiding the shots that came in their direction by pure instinct. He rose, snarling, and shot the trooper that had wounded Sascha right in his side, the blue stun bolt danced across the man's body, and the soldier jerked spastically and then lay still. For a split-second Anakin wished that he had taken the blaster off stun, but he had just enough composure left still to fight like the new man that he was.

Ducking back into his cover, Anakin doesn't even dare to look at Sascha's wound, the hole that the blaster had carved her jacket had been evidence enough of how serious her wound was. Somehow, with Sascha pulled to her position, he was in an even more desperate panic. He doesn't know what to do. He couldn't use the Force to heal her, even if he wasn't in the middle of a warzone, and there's no time to do first aid. Anakin felt his breath coming in short gasps…she can't let Sascha just die here in his arms. He let loose a primal scream, putting all his frustration, his fear and his anger into it.

"Anakin…I'm sorry." Sascha, though her eyes were still shut, was still somehow clinging to consciousness. He had never been happier to hear someone's voice. "Can't feel my arm… or my chest. Can't feel much of anything," she then groaned in the most inhuman way possible, to him it sounded like the wail of a dying Nexu.

Anakin cupped her cheek gently, "Sascha! Stay with me! We'll get through this yet," his voice was so frantic, not even trying to mask the sobbing, it took a second for him to recognize it as his own.

Sascha gave him a ghostly smile, a trickle of blood running from her mouth and down her chin, then her eyes rolled to the back of her head once more.

Sascha lay in his arms, eyes shut, not moving. The only sign that she was alive at all were the almost imperceptibly slow breaths she was taking. 

Dragging her attention back to the situation at hand, she realized that the BSF troops had used their reprieve well, gaining several advanced positions that he was going to have difficulty dislodging them from. Anakin still felt relatively safe, but there was still the fact that he was pushing himself to the point of absolute collapse. He had always possessed good endurance, but now he could feel his vision narrowing, and his body protesting his every movement.

The lack of stun grenades was also a problem, he was still wielding the blaster and the lightsaber at once, but neither weapon was much use in attacking soldiers that had quality cover. Nonetheless, his first volley stopped the BSF advance in its tracks and granted him a short time to collect his breath and duck back behind the solid desk that had been his salvation.

There's not much else to do but to continue the fight. He rose, deflected the incoming fire and returned some of his own. Deflect and move, move and fire, tumble and deflect, fire three times, Anakin is doing it all mechanically, he knows that her time is running short.

How long has she been doing this? Days? Weeks? Hours? He doesn't really know. It's only him and the Force. Sascha's presence had been so comforting, without it, he feels wilder, weaker. It's only really now that he realizes how important she is to him.

In that moment he heard the call of the dark side. It whispered alluringly to him, 'just tap into your anger, your hate and your fatigue can be burned away. You can save your friend, all you have to do is give in to your anger this once. Anakin didn’t want to use the dark side ever again not even up till now, but, it's the most seductive idea he's ever heard.

Anakin considers the implicit offer. 

He made his decision.

Anakin yelled aloud, cursing the bluest streak he can manage, "Kriff it all, kriff this stupid karking planet and its entire karking population. I have done nothing to you!" He rose again, snarling, unleashing a small part of his anger to renew his strength. His shots ring with a newfound accuracy, his lightsaber once again moved precisely to deflect incoming fire. His muscles, previously almost ablaze with pain, no longer trouble him. His fear of loss and his anger at this situation, once more gave rise to the darkness inside of him, and that darkness within him gives Anakin strength, gives him the ability to carry on. He digs deeper into the dark side, he thought about losing Sascha, he smiled like a predator, suddenly all the men in the room were lifted into the air, dangling with their hands scrabbling at their throats. 

'Anakin you have to stay with the light,' he heard Sascha's voice speak to him.

Stunned, he dropped the men and moved back into cover to look over at Sascha, who is still clearly unconscious on the floor. Anakin blinked a couple of times, trying to decide if he has lost what is left of his sanity. He looked at Sascha's limp form and spoke to him as if she could respond to him, "Sascha, you're not really talking to me. I need this, just let me tap into my anger. I can SAVE us!" he roared.

Anakin thought he half-saw Sascha shake her head slowly, "you don't need to do this."

"Sascha, I can barely move, I don't have anything left," he whispered furiously.

Sascha's voice still comes unbidden, "I'd rather die than watch you do this Anakin. You know I don't fear my death, if this is my path, let me take it."

Anakin knew that his friend's words are true. He screamed in a burst of emotion, and draws on the positive memories he's had with Sascha over their tiny but loving friendship.

Those memories give him the strength to go on, to rise up again, and to keep fighting. For the first time in…hours? His mind seems clear, he fights without fatigue, without the tiny pains of the hundreds of little cuts and bruises he's accumulated, he fights like it's a sparring session against himself, a place of calm. He reaches out with the Force and detonates a stun grenade that was on the hip of an unsuspecting BSF trooper. They had stopped carrying them a while ago, but this poor soul must have forgotten. His loss, Anakin's gain.

The burst of energy Anakin received doesn't last long, but when he hears the dark side call to him again, he laughs out loud. The dark side has no hold on Anakin Skywalker, he has a hold on the dark side. 

Anakin fought on. Time has lost all meaning to him, he just fights, he is in harmony with the Force and this is his song. But, like all songs, it must end.

A laser bolt pinged into the top of his shoulder. It's just another minor wound in the grand scheme of things, but it's just enough to break his will to fight. Then another grazes his chest and he collapses. In the end, even a Sith can only take so much.

He slumped behind the desk, blaster falling from his hand. His lightsaber is still ignited, but he can barely get his eyes to focus. Anakin has given everything he had and more, he's just completely empty. He can't even feel the Force anymore, he doesn't feel his pain, and this reality is more like a dream than anything he's ever experienced.

He crawled over to Sascha and yanked her across, she's still unconscious, her face serene. Even the burn on her side and the blood seeping from it can't take away from her look of absolute peacefulness. Anakin cradled her, brushing her hair lightly, as he brings his face close to hers. It's probably the most intimate moment they've ever shared and only one of them is conscious for it and neither one is going to remember it soon.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said as tears fell down his cheek. Anakin realized that he is going to die in a matter of moments, but he takes comfort that he will go out with his one and only best friend, his truest ally, his soul mate in his arms. He rubbed Sascha's cheek lightly with a finger, he really wishes that he could see her lovely brown eyes again or that she could speak to him one last time; he had so much that he wanted to say to her.

Shouts sounded like they were in the far distance, he felt the presence of more than a dozen soldiers surround him. 

His mind started to drift, and he started wondering what death will be like. All that he hoped is that it is pleasant. He hoped that Sascha will be there with him. If she is, he knows that it will be okay. It's always okay. 

No

No!

No!

Not like this, he was never going to go like this, it's his fault that Sascha is here and he is damned if he isn't going to get her out. By. Any. Means. Necessary. 

He lets the Dark in once more, he tries to control it but it thunders his way into him, he reaches out and grasps each man with the force, flinging them back. "I JUST WANTED TO LIVE MY LIFE!" he roared and screamed at the same time, "I JUST WANT TO LEAVE AND BE LEFT ALONE, I JUST WANT TO BE WITH THE ONE I LOVE AND CARE ABOUT AND YOU TOOK THAT FROM ME!" the temperature in the room dropped to freezing, a look of fear showed in each of the men's faces as they remained pinned to the wall. Anakin slumped once more, bent over the barely breathing and limp form of Sascha, he sobbed uncontrollably as he looked down, he placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry". Each of the men in the room fell to floor with a sharp crack as their necks snapped. Anakin repeated himself with his last conscious thought. "I'm sorry". 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Qui-Gon led the way down the ramp, five other Jedi accompanied him consisting of Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Luminara Unduli, Bariss Offee and Plo Koon. When they received word that the Bothans had subdued the Sith, Qui-Gon was surprised they managed to do it, however there was perhaps more to it than that, due to the distinct air of anger and sorrow and the noticeable lack of soldiers around the compound when they arrived. The group was met by what looked like the Base Commander, he greeted them with a short nod and he motioned for them to follow him. None of them spoke till they were in the lift, "I trust there was not too much trouble subduing the boy?" asked Qui-Gon, the man snorted and shuffled on his feet, "Not quite". As if on cue the door opened and the group was met with an ironically serene, silence filled room that was littered with unconscious and semi-conscious men, various medics attending each man in turn. "I see" he deadpanned, "What happened?" he ventured. The man looked at him and then spoke "When you called and told us, we planned the arrest, we led the boy along with a girl that accompanied him into the room at the end" he gestured towards the now destroyed room at the end of the corridor, "Once inside, we called out to them, asked him to drop any weapons and come out peacefully, "Alas he didn't take that very well I presume?" Qui-Gon interrupted. The Bothan scowled at him but continued; "Yes, he refused to comply, so we decided to send a team in to subdue him, of course that team, that consisted of about 15 men, was beaten back, well when I say beaten back I mean completely destroyed, along with 9 other teams as well. Then we decided to push from another angle, so we entered in through another side of the room, but once we gained entry the boy had climbed into the vent in the ceiling and the girl got in as well, but not before we managed to stun her. They moved into the briefing room and there was a repeat of the first room, however the girl was severely wounded a few minutes in, the boy suddenly turned and attacked with a rage I have never seen before, he started choking every man in the room and I think he would have killed them too had he not collapsed."   
The group remained silent while awaiting the next part of the story, however after a minute Obi-Wan broke the silence, "At least no-one was killed". The man looked at him, "Not quite" he appeared to struggle to speak the next few lines, "perhaps I'll show you what happened next. "Please" motioned Mace. The man led them into a room and pulled up a security holo. It showed Anakin, he appeared to be conversing with the girl, even though she was clearly unconscious, he got up once more with new strength that was not coming from the dark side. The boy was struck down once more and he sunk to the floor, crawling to the girl. They watched and listened as Anakin whispered about not wanting to go like this, the pair was surrounded by soldiers as the moved in, however Anakin once more looked up at the men and they were thrown against the wall, all of them remaining pinned there, Anakin roared at them as he sobbed, Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel a slight lump in his throat as he watched Anakin have a very intimate moment with the girl, Anakin was bent over her and he placed a kiss on her forehead. There was a crack and all the men fell to the floor. Dead.

"I am sorry for your losses, commander" spoke Qui-Gon, a deep frown set on his face, "Where are the boy and girl now?" asked mace, a stern tone adopted into his voice. The Bothan ruffled his fur, "Against the wishes of a lot of people in this base they are both receiving medical attention, although they are heavily sedated. Mace nodded in approval, "Show us to them please". Blatskis nodded and walked out them room. The MedBay was full of soldiers, most of them recovering from the effects of either a stun grenade or a stun bolt. They weaved through the beds and were led to a door that was guarded by two massive Bothans. They both nodded and opened the door, Obi-Wan was the last through, he walked in to see both children suspended in Bacta, various tubes protruded from both, no robes had been provided to give them dignity, they were both naked and an oversized oxygen mask was fitted on each of their heads, both were held in place by straps, one around the waist, two on the legs and two on the arms, he didn't really approve but he wasn't surprised, he would do the same where he in their shoes. "The girl is still in the balance but the boy is stable, he should recover", spoke a doctor that had silently entered behind them, may I ask what you intend to do now?", Mace nodded his head, "We will transport them in their current state to our ship, it has the necessary facilities for the tanks, we will transport them to the temple where the boy will tried and punished for his crimes". The doctor nodded, "What of the girl? She arrived on the ship also however the supposed father took off before we could get to him, we have reports he entered hyperspace soon after". This time master Koon spoke up, "that is for us to decide, for now she will accompany us to Coruscant.", The doctor nodded once more, "then I will begin the necessary procedures to transport them". 

Two days later the sip touched down at the temple hanger, a group of healers led by Vokara Che and a smaller group of temple guards awaited them. Vokara nodded at the Jedi that descended the ramp, "Master Windu", Mace returned the gesture, "Vokara, may I suggest we get these two into the halls?", the healer nodded and motioned for her accompanying healers to retrieve the pair. It was slightly ironic that two children had warranted all of this, it certainly turned heads as the procession was led to the Halls of Healing. 

After the two tanks had been placed in the room, the group dispersed, leaving only two guards, Obi-Wan and healer Che. "Do you have an idea as to when they can come out?" asked Obi-Wan, Che smiled sadly, "It pains me to see two children in this state and warranting such a fuss", Obi-Wan didn't agree, "I'm sure you didn't know but the boy is called Anakin Skywalker, we were going to accept him for training, however the council refused and then he went missing, we discovered him about 2 months ago, he is now a Sith apprentice, although I think not anymore". Vokara nodded silently, "The girl?", "The girl we know nothing about, she was with Anakin at the time they were captured, she was fighting with him". 

As if on que the girl jerked suddenly, she looked around even though her eyes were shut, she arched her back and convulsed as she struggled against the restraints, Vokara started shouting for help as she took a step towards the tank, the clear bacta was tinged with red as her wrists started to bleed from rubbing the restraints, two other healers and a temple guard rushed in, the girl, her eyes now open and watching them all, with a pleading look on her face as she struggled even harder. Two healers reached in and pulled the girl out, she struggled violently against their grips as soon as she was out of the tank, she breathed quickly and deeply, she was carried to a bed and Obi-Wan held her down as Vokara started taking readings from the girl with a scanner. The girl began whispering, Obi-Wan leaned in to hear; "please, just let me go, let me leave, I'll bother no-one". Obi-Wan looked at her with sympathy, "Not yet little one, we need to ask a few questions", the girl gave no reply, but another question, "Anakin?" she rasped out and before Obi-Wan could give an answer she was sedated once more. 

Obi-Wan walked into the secure room the next day, finding Anakin naked on his back, a small pinkish patch was all that remained of his blaster wounds. cloth drawn up to cover his lower half, Healer Che running a softly glowing hand down... trails of scars and burns. Obi-Wan swallowed thickly at the sight. Qui-Gon had said Darksider's training and conditioning was harsh... but... seeing it was another matter entirely.

"From what we can tell, the physical scars are from various sources," said Bant in a forced calm voice, "Vibroblades and staves seeming to be the most common that we can figure, and none of these hits were pulled. The burns, well... I... I'm not experienced with what caused them. Master Che says they are Force based."

Healer Che briefly looked up. "I've ventured a look into the archives during my last break, in particular the healers section, and having read up on pre-Russan Force damage treatment, determined them to be from Force Lightning. A large majority of her body has signs of exposure to this, it lingers in the Force even after the skin has healed. He is very fortunate that we have knowledge of how to treat and prevent long term damage from this extensive amount an exposure."

"Long term?" rumbled Plo Koon.

"Electrical shocks can cause nerve damage," explained Healer Che, "Especially from this particular type of Force attack. His joints would suffer in particular, arthritis is a common side effect if not treated. There would be a high chance of cataracts in his eyes as well. There is, to be frank, enough side effects that it is better to simply treat and eliminate the possibility of them."

"Anakin didn't seem to be in any pain," murmured Obi-Wan.

Healer Che wagged a finger. "Darksiders thrive off pain, and can have an incredible amount of tolerance to it, thresholds beyond what most sentients, even Jedi, can tolerate. Continual amounts of a low dosage of pain or irritation would most likely not even register for him or he may just be used to it, not to mention draw strength from. Its also a simple possibility that he is young and relatively healthy, and as a Force Sensitive, his body can recover from the damage."

Healer Che frowned. "He more recently suffered several whole body exposures to it, from what I can tell, and it was not a minor thing. Scans show his insides were a little cooked a bit by her last exposure if that is what it was. Even worse is his mental condition..."

The healer shook her head. "I have only done a cursory examination of his mind as of the moment, as its generally not wise to delve into a Darksiders mind without taking preparations. I am treating his physical wounds before I attempt to treat that."

Obi-Wan felt like he was going to be sick.

"In addition, there are... lingering presences, not his own, in his head," admitted the healer, just a tad uncomfortable, "He has had multiple beings, all dark, go through his mind at one point with either repetition, or deeply enough, to leave a residue of their presence. At least two, up to four, its hard to tell honestly."

"Multiple?" questioned Master Windu sharply.

The healer shook her head. "I can't give you more than a number."

Force... Obi-Wan was mortified, "I understand that darksiders are harsh... but this is... he's only thirteen"

"The Sith are a disease," spat Master Windu, "They have no regard for any sanctity of life."

Healer Che paused. "Sith. You are saying..."

"It is to be kept quiet for the time being," said Master Windu firmly, "The continued existence of the Sith is currently a tightly guarded secret."

"That's... no, no, Anakin can't be a Sith!" said Bant in horror, "He's only a child, I remember him when he came to the temple, he was such a sweet boy!"

Bant turned to Obi-Wan, eyes pleading, but he could only sigh. "I'm sorry Bant, he's a Sith Apprentice."

Bant swallowed, hard, and struggled to contain her emotions. "Oh Anakin... how could it end up this way?"

"We're going to find out," said Obi-Wan, "And help him come back from this."

"Is there anything else you have been able to observe or determine?" asked Plo Koon.

"Perhaps that he hasn't bothered with a healing trance in a very long time," said Healer Che, "He has had exposure to toxic environments or chemicals that have left traces in his bloodstream over the years. A trance could have easily purged them. He doesn't take very good care of himself. Otherwise, there is nothing else that you would need to be informed of."

"Need to be?" inquired Master Windu, "He is a darksider..."

"He is also a patient," said Healer Che firmly, "And any non-Jedi are subject to patient-doctor confidentiality."

Mace scowled at her. 

Yoda spoke up for the first time since entering the room. "Appreciate such intrusiveness, he will not. If dire they are not, no more need we know."

"It could be unknowingly important, or perhaps give an edge or understanding...," began Master Windu.

"I gave him a full-body physical," said Healer Che in exasperation, "Can you say you are truly interested in his vital sign readings, weight, height, muscle tone, sexual activity, test results for various diseases, and things of that nature?"

Vokara smiled when Mace said nothing. 

"I would like Yoda's support however when I do try to go about repairing his recent mental trauma," said Healer Che, "As I implied earlier, delving into a darksider's mind is generally not safe. However, I will mention that this is not to be a breech of his privacy nor an attempt to pry into his memories. Mending only."

"Mmm," murmured Yoda, "Finish healing his body, you will, then attempt his mind, we shall."

Obi-Wan watched quietly as Healer Che and Bant, methodically went about tending to Anakin, clothing him in a medical gown when they were done. Yoda hobbled over and jumped onto a chair, reaching a hand to brush against Anakin's forehead, a sad look on his old face. He settled a gnarled claw on the side of Anakin's forehead as Healer Che put one on the back of his head. For a few minutes, all Obi-Wan could feel was a subtle stirring of the Force.

And then a frown appeared across Healer Che's face. "Is that a compulsion?"

Yoda staggered and fall off the chair, and Healer Che stumbled away, crying out in surprise as a brief spike of the Dark Side burst from Anakin's mind. The other Jedi in the room tensed, stepping forward, but Che waved them off, wobbling around for a moment before touching the side of his forehead, a soft light emanating before disappearing. Yoda merely shook his head and seemed to overcome whatever had just happened.

"There are compulsions, or at least something that looks like one, in his head," said Che flatly, "Which have mental traps underneath them that spring when touched. That was... some kind of distortion and sensory overload."

She shook her head. "We can't do this, his mind is booby trapped to an insane degree if the number of compulsions, or bait look-alikes, are any indication. It's not safe for anyone but Anakin himself to go into his own mind. He's going to have to do this himself at some point."

"He is going to be placed in a Force Suppressant Cell when you are done here," said Master Windu, "He won't have the chance to for some time I imagine."

"Then he's going to have to deal with it for the time being," said Healer Che firmly, "I am not going to risk mental damage to myself or anyone else who may try to go in and help him. We can wait.

Obi-Wan swallowed, not liking the implications coming to mind. "Are they compulsions? Or just traps? And if traps... why are they shaped in a way that makes them appear to be compulsions?"

Healer Che shook her head. "I'm not sure on either question. He has to have an understanding of what a compulsion is and how to make them to be able to shape the traps like that, so either he's practiced making them, picked one apart within his own mind, or perhaps both. The sheer amount of these traps though suggests paranoia against someone in his head. Considering the trace presences of there having been others in his mind multiple times, perhaps not quite paranoia, and more like a line of defence. There is also the possibility, that since the traps do not trigger until they are touched, they are meant to fake looking like a compulsion in order to deceive someone checking on them. It would be a logical conclusion to say he has most likely suffered one or more compulsions being put in his mind before."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, struggling with the possibilities: Does he have compulsions in his head now? If he had them in her head in the past, how many? What was he forced, or manipulated, into doing? How long were they in his head before they were discovered? What were the long-term consequences for him, in what happened to him or what he did? It leaves him all kinds of anxious that he has to take a moment to continually release the emotion into the Force.

"Force," whispered Bant, "Why would he live in such an environment, why not get out? Seek help? He would have been safe in the Temple if he had come to us!"

"Assumptions, help us will not," said Yoda, waving his stick through the air, "Ask him, we will, if open about his past, he chooses to become."

Yoda looked at Anakin with a mixture of grief and sorrow, sadness. "If nothing else there is, Healer Che, then take him to his cell, we will."

"No, that's as much as I can do for the time being," answered the healer.

With that, a hoverstretcher was retrieved, Anakin levitated onto it and unhooked from the IV of sedatives, and he was taken down into the bowls of the Jedi Temple.

Yoda stopped them before they followed Anakin, "Another guest we must talk about, as well". Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, he had completely forgotten about the young girl who had been with Anakin. 

The group walked into the room, she had been taken off sedatives this morning, so she should be awake soon. Like Anakin she was lying naked on the bed with a small sheet covering her bottom half her hair held back by a simple tie. "What can you tell us about this one?" asked Mace, eying the child with suspicion, in his life he has learnt to not underestimate how dangerous a child can be. Vokara cleared her throat before beginning, "Apart from her blaster wounds she is mentally and physically sound", "Darksider is she?" asked Yoda, his gaze looking on at the young girl with sympathy, "No, she not even a force sensitive, we know nothing about who she is or where she acquired skills with a blaster like she has shown-", Yoda interrupted the healer, "Perhaps we ask the youngling herself, Hmmm? come, little one, awake we know you are".

The young girl opened one eye, she still did not move. But then she slid of the bed and darted towards the door, Obi-Wan was too astounded to do anything, however just before she reached said door two large dark hands seized her waist and she gasped, Mace lifted her up, squirming, and placed her back on the bed. She stared at the group before her with a look of displeasure, pouting slightly. Yoda chuckled mirthfully at the girl, "Why run, do you?" the girl elected silence, "Can you tell us your name, child?", this time from Mace. The girl didn't answer his question and instead replied with her own; "Where is Anakin and where are my clothes?" Obi-Wan had to applaud her boldness, even if it was a bit stupid, "Perhaps, an answer for an answer, Hmmm? Yoda looked at her. The girl thought about it, "Give me my clothes, then I'll answer". Mace nodded, he turned to the chair in the corner, picked up a bundle of clothes and placed them on the end of her bed, "Sascha... I... don't know my second name, I guess it would be Cleez" she deadpanned, giving nothing more. "Greetings Sascha Cleez, my name is Obi-Wan". She just looked at him, a deep scowl on her face. However, Obi-Wan, along with the others in the room were forced to look away as Sascha started dressing. "Thank you" she said, not concealing the distrust in her voice. "Where is Anakin?" she repeated. This time Obi-Wan answered "Anakin has recovered from his wounds and he has been taken to a cell where he will await questioning". Sascha looked deeply displeased at that answer, "Can't you just let him go?" she looked round the group, "He hasn't done anything", however Mace shook his head "I think you would amend that statement if you knew what he has done". Sascha didn't listen as an even deeper scowl formed on her face "Where will I go now?" her voice raising slightly "That delivery was my only chance to get enough money and start again". Mace was intrigued, "Why would a thirteen year old girl need to start a new life? What did you do?". The girl once again chose silence, she looked away and sank back down onto her bed, the others in the room took their leave and made for the door. Once outside Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder out loud, "There certainly seems to be more to her than meets the eye". Both Mace and Yoda nodded in agreement. 

Obi-Wan shivered as they entered one of the cells, losing the sensation of the Force in the air, through his body, the loss of access to it, before they placed Anakin down on a thin bunk-like bed. "These rooms are... unpleasant."

"That is putting it mildly padawan mine," muttered Qui-Gon, hastily making for the doorway.

Obi-Wan glanced back and forth between Anakin and the doorway before coming to a decision. "I think I'll wait in here for him to wake up, give him a familiar face, and explain his situation to him."

"That can be done from outside the cell, Padawan Kenobi," said Mace in the doorway.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm not going to have him suffer the cell alone and stare from the outside in."

Master Windu frowned for a moment, exchanging glances with Qui-Gon and Yoda before sighing, "Call for a guard when you are ready to leave then, Padawan Kenobi. Be mindful that he is dangerous, and it takes time to deactivate the Force Field at the entrance and get into the cell."

Obi-Wan nodded and moved to settle down against the wall opposite to the bed, staring silently at Anakin's unconscious form, wondering how in the world he was going to go about getting him out of the Darkness he was swallowed by...

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Anakin notes, even before he's fully awake, is the lack of the Force. It jolts him awake in a panic, breathing raggedly, gasping as if he's choking. He can't feel it, he can't feel it! He claws at his neck, his arms… and then there's hands stopping him.

"Anakin! Calm down!"

It's Obi-Wan's voice.

He blinks rapidly, adjusting to the dimly lit room, his chest rising and falling slower and slower. Obi-Wan is kneeling in front of him, clutching Anakin's shaking limbs, he looks around, he's dressed in a light medical wing gown, there's nothing in here but a bed that s  
he's on, a forcefield as a door, and a very small fresher tied to the… the Force Suppressant Cell he's in.

"I'm in the Temple," he states flatly.

"Yes."

"I always hoped I'd never have to be back here".

Obi-Wan lets go of his arms and sat down next to him. "Sorry, the Council didn't want to take any chances."

He shook his head. "It's nothing I didn't expect if I was ever found and captured."

Then his eyes narrow and rage spikes. "I know why I'm in here, but why did they throw you in with me? You've done nothing wrong!"

He smiled mirthlessly. "I asked to be in here."

He blanks. "You what?"

"I asked to be in here," he answers again, "Figured you could use the company."

he just stared at him.

Obi-Wan's smile turned self-depreciating. "…and I want to apologise and find out what happened."

He sighs. "I have nothing to say to you until I speak to Sascha."

"Funny, she said the exact same thing," said Obi-Wan, a small smile on his face.

Anakin, after a day of asking and refusing anything else, was finally allowed to speak to Sascha, he suspected it was allowed by the council to see if they can find anything out, but he didn't really care. 

But he still had no intention of telling them anything. Yet. Anakin was led out of his cell, flanked by four temple guards and Mace Windu. "You will meet her in the halls of healing where Sascha is being kept". Anakin's anger flared at the thought of her being imprisoned by the Jedi. Mace stiffened slightly, a hand going to his saber but nothing more. 

Anakin was led up several stairs and hallways, quizzical stares from passing Jedi. Finally, they stopped outside of a door, Anakin turned round. "I'm not having anyone else in with us". Mace scowled slightly and gave Anakin a withering stare, Anakin didn't flinch, he only stood there with a glare that could only be produced by thirteen year old boy. Mace relented, nodding, the binders were removed from Anakin and he sighed with relief as the darkness flooded into him. 

The door lock clicked and swung open and Anakin walked in, The room was slightly larger than his cell, white walls, floor and ceiling, a cot was in the corner, no window but there was a Holopad sat on a desk, however what Anakin was really looking for was his friend, she was huddled in the corner, knees up to her chest and her head buried in her arms. Anakin rushed over, skidding on the floor the last few feet. "Sascha!", the girl looked up, a scowl on her face till she recognised him. Her face lit up, "Ani", she pulled him onto her and they sat there, cross legged, foreheads touching, "I thought I was never going to see you again", she whispered, Anakin grinned "Who? Me? I would never" he feigned mock hurt. This made Sascha laugh, not hard or loud, but just a small chuckle. Anakin looked her over, "Are you hurt, did they hurt you?" he asked, his voice turning serious. "No, I'm fine, I am just bored and I want to leave" Anakin pressed his head against hers once more, "I know I'm sorry", "You should be" she said, her voice suddenly taking a serious tone, Anakin couldn't tell if she was faking it or not, "What do you mean?", he asked cautiously, "Well if you weren’t such a shit fighter wouldn't be in this mess" She started grinning mischievously, Anakin caught on, relieved, he punched her not lightly on the shoulder, "Well if you didn't have to get yourself shot we could be off and out of here" he pointed out jokingly. This slightly pushed one of her buttons but she took it well, ...ish, she laughed hard and then jumped on him, she pinned him to the ground and started pushing his pressure points, Anakin was alternating between laughing and begging her to stop, however Sascha just kept laughing maniacally, Anakin hooked his leg on the inside of her and rolled, they switched positions, that was until Sascha kneed him between his legs and he yelped, "Hey! c'mon that's not fair!", He was gasping for air while rolling on the floor, Sascha stood over him with an evil grin, "It's not my fault you’re a man and therefore weak". Anakin said nothing, he just grinned widely as he stood up, Sascha took a step towards him and Anakin took no chances, he ran and rugby tackled her around the waist, they tumbled backwards, knocking the bed, table and chairs over. They somehow ended with Sascha on top, she pinned his arms and legs down this time and jokingly planted a small kiss on his cheek, he blushed crimson as his lightsaber and Sacha grinned. At that moment a healer, two guards and Mace burst through the room, they obviously thought they were trying to break out from all the noise, however they were not expecting to see Sascha pinning Anakin down, planting a kiss on his grinning face. 

Anakin was hauled up, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat, mainly because of what Sascha had done but also because of Mace's face when he walked in. A pair of cuffs were slapped on his wrist and he was marched out the room. Anakin expected to turn left, back to his cell, however he was jerked right down the hall, "Taking a walk are we?" needled Anakin. "We let you talk to the girl, now you answer our questions". Anakin had forgotten that part, however he had agreed to it so he couldn't deny. Anakin was marched into an elevator; he was flanked by Mace on one side and a guard on the other. riveting conversation thought Anakin. The turbo lift halted and the doors slid open to an equally drab hallway, a red carpet on the floor with golden stone walls, apart from a padawan sat behind a desk and a pair of large double doors at the end. Anakin was led down the hallway, he winked at the padawan who just looked back indifferently, "Wait here" said mace to the guard, who nodded and halted before the door, it clunked open to reveal a circular room, an ornate pattern swirled on the floor, ending in a white circle in the middle to which Anakin was led, around the room sat the Jedi council, or the 'Lying bastards that ruined my life' was another name Anakin had given them. Yoda was the first to speak, "Ready to answer questions, you are?" Anakin nodded, he saw no reason to hold back now, although he was going to drag it out so he could remain useful longer and therefore have longer to escape. "Good, explain to us how a Sith, you became".

Anakin tried and failed to suppress a flash of anger, What did they mean HOW? A few hands hovered over lightsabers instinctively at Anakin's slight lapse in shielding. "Calm your nerf tails, I have no intention of attacking anyone here unless they come at me. And I'm not answering that question since A, you should know and B, It's your fault". 

A few scowls were directing him but Anakin kept his eyes on Yoda, "Hmmm, leave that for later, we will, tell us this, why attack Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, did you?".

Ahh

Shit, he supposed he should have expected this. 

"I was sent to kill them as part of my training". Anakin supposed there was no good In dragging this particular conversation out, so he went straight to the point. 

A slight shuffle in the room was all that signified they heard him, Anakin just continued, "I needed to sacrifice the last remaining tie I had to the light and weirdly enough that was Obi-Wan". Yoda nodded. 

This time it was master Depa who spoke up, "Where did you get your lightsaber?", Anakin didn't mind this question, he guessed it was just them gauging him. "I made it, duh" he put a scornful tone in his voice, "got the crystal from that lovely place on Illum". The master gasped at this.

"You mean the Sith are aware of the temple there?"

"Of course, in fact I think there were a bunch of younglings there while myself and Sidious visited". Anakin was particularly looking forward to dropping that bombshell on them, that they had been close enough to Sidious to see him.

His anticipation was rewarded, shocked gasps echoed through the room and questions were coming from all directions until Yoda's gimmer stick banging on the ground, penetrating and silencing the noise.

"Go now you will, discuss this we must". 

Two guards emerged into the room and collected Anakin, however Anakin had one more thing to say; "I want to make some requests, and in return I will be inclined to continue our lovely chit chats". Mace fixed him with a hardening stare once more, "What are they?" he ground out. 

"Well since I am thirteen and therefore a child, It is illegal to keep me locked in a cell in solitary confinement, also since using the darkside is not illegal and prolonged force suppression like being in that cell is a form of torture, I request that myself and Sascha are moved into a room together like one of the lovely Master - Padawan apartments you have here, and we are allowed to exercise in your lovely Dojo's". 

"Absolutely not"

Bollocks, well, time to call their bluff.

"Fine" he picked at his nails nonchalantly, "I guess you don't want to know where the hidden Sith temple on coruscant is".

They were moved into an apartment the next day. 

Anakin smiled smugly at Mace, however Mace slightly smirked back.  
Oh

"Since, as you pointed out, you are both still children, you are therefore required by law to have a registered guardian, meaning you and the girl will have a third room mate".

"What!" 

"No arguments, Sith, child". Mace looked at him with a slightly smug scowl. "You can come in padawan Kenobi"

Anakin's heart dropped. Obi-Wan walked into the room, a slightly sly smile was plastered on his face.

Mace continued however. "And if we are still sticking to republic law, as a child you are required to have an education till you are 18 standard years old". Anakin's mouth opened to argue but Mace continued, "However if you want to decline, I am sure the Bothan's would turn a blind eye to your age and prosecute you as an adult..." mace left the last statement hanging in the air. 

"Fineee" Anakin replied in a typical teenager way. 

Obi-Wan clapped his hands, "Brilliant Anakin, I look forward to getting to know you again'.

"The feeling is not mutual, where is Sascha?" he looked past Mace in the doorway. 

"she will be joining you shortly"

Anakin grinned, "Well, I'll see you guys later, I am going to spar since I am in dire need of a fight". Obi-Wan gave a disapproving sigh.

The main reason Anakin was desperate to spar was so he could have access to the force, since he had to wear suppression bands during the day, they were removed while in the Dojo, Obi-Wan unclipped Anakin's lightsaber and tossed it to him, Anakin relished the feeling, as well as the stares they received when his crimson blade ignited. Anakin thought it was a mistake to spar while others were in the room since he could easily feed on their emotions and if he wanted to, he could easily escape, his power over the force meant that he felt confident he could disable the guards and perhaps Obi-Wan. However, Anakin wasn't confident he could get Sascha out as well, since she wasn't force sensitive she wouldn’t be able to help him much since there would be no blasters in the temple. So, for now he would wait and play the game, sort of.

Anakin had just finished working through his Kata's when he took a break to rest, however what he was not expecting was to be rugby tackled from behind and to then find himself on his front on the ground with his arm behind his back. "I thought we had better finish what we started" whispered a familiar voice in his ear. "Careful Sasch, you might get hurt" came a sharp retort. He heard a snort and then a finger jab into his Kidneys, he yelped loudly and rolled away, he stood up and looked around, he was receiving lots of disapproving stares from around the Dojo, may masters and padawans had halted to watch the spectacle of two thirteen year olds fighting like an ungraceful Loth Cat. 

Anakin readied himself and the two ran at each other, Anakin bent low, intent on getting underneath Sascha, however she simply jumped over him at the last second, he was sent sprawling on the floor, they had a no force rule when they used to tussle on the ship and he was still sticking to that. However that was the only rule, this was shown when Sascha walked up to a rack and picked out a heavy wooden staff and nonchalantly stalked over to where Anakin was lying winded on the ground. She offered the end of the staff to him and he grabbed it, yanking himself up, he turned to walk back to reset when Sascha jumped on him, laughing wildly as she locked her arms around his neck, "Yield" she spoke, Anakin shook his rapidly reddening face, "Brilliant" she said, however she was not expecting Anakin to bend down, flipping her over to land hard on her back, she kicked up, however, with her stick and it once again caught him between the legs, he shouted the loudest and worst swear word he knew, that caught him a bunch of stares from around the room, most of them were watching the pair however. Anakin called a heavy rubber ball to his hand with the force, then when Sascha stood up he pelted it at her back, it struck her between her shoulder blades and she was flung to the floor. Anakin turned to address the shocked grasp that came from the spectators, "Oh quiet down you lot, she's fine", Sascha shot him a half-joking, half-annoyed stare. 

She murmured something, before picking up the ball and her stick and then throwing them as hard as she could at Anakin, he dodged the ball but the staff caught him head on in the forehead, Sascha cackled as she stalked over to him, she put her foot and his chest and Kept him down until he surrendered. 

Anakin staggered over to the bench and picked up his cloak and Sascha did the same, they walked to the door and the waiting guards. Anakin held his hands out and a pair of cuffs were slapped onto his wrists before they were escorted out to their room. They reached the door and the two teens barrelled through, a mixture of an argument and yawning. Sascha was talking animatedly about her win and Anakin, as the loser, went to make tea. A knock sounded at the door and Sascha, hair still dripping and in a towel, went and opened the door. A gasp sounded as Obi-Wan saw Sascha in a towel and he quickly turned away.

"Go and put some clothes on Sascha it's not decent". Sascha just snorted and walked off. 

"Charming pair you two", this made Anakin grin, he looked over at Obi-Wan, "I mean it's not like we want to be here anyway". 

"Ah, yes that's what I wanted to talk to you about".

"What do you mean?" came a slightly distant voice from where Sascha was changing.

"I mean that you, Sascha, are free to leave tomorrow and you will be transported to the authorities back at your home planet of Naboo". Obi-Wan himself still sounded surprised at this, Sascha more so.   
"How the Kriff did you find that out?" she didn't let Obi-Wan answer, "It doesn't matter, I'm not going".

Classic Sascha

"Unfortunately, Miss Anterrs" said Obi-Wan, emphasising the newly discovered name, "You don't have a choice since you are technically a criminal in the eyes of the republic".

This made Anakin seethe, he drew in the dark around him and he felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees. Obi-Wan looked over at him slightly alarmed, however he said nothing and left. 

Anakin looked over at Sacha, a slight smirk on his face "Anterrs?" he lifted his eyebrows. "Oh Kriff off", She said nothing more as she scowled at his face.

She set off towards her room with a meaningful look on her face, she kicked the door open and began collecting the few clothes she had been given and bundling them into her pillow case as a makeshift bag. why would she need that?

oh

ohhh. 

shit

"Sascha no, absolutely not, you have no chance and you’re not even a force sensitive". This however just made her look even more determined. "Ani, you have two choices, I attempt to escape without you and I get killed or I attempt to escape with you, we go and set up a life elsewhere". She perched on the edge of the sofa looking at him, Anakin looked back, deep in thought, "fine, but there's nothing I can do now so calm down" he held up his suppressant cuffs on each hand. 

"well then we wait till we spar tomorrow, work through those moves you do each time¬ –", "Katas" he cut in, "yea those, but don't turn your lightsaber down, do it near a wall and then cut through it". 

Anakin couldn't argue with that...

The next day started with Obi-Wan waking them both up, Anakin being taken to the council room for questioning again. Him needling, again. And Anakin being sent back to his room. Again.

Yet when Obi-Wan came to take Anakin and Sascha to the Dojo once more he was ready for this new chapter in his life.


End file.
